For God, Family and Republic

Some new additions to For God, Family and Republic.

You might have noticed the addition of two new links on the sidebar of my blog. If not, I figured I would bring attention to it.



Since my devotional content is going syndicated on SoliDeoGloria.com soon at the behest of my friend Lt. Col. Richard Leino USMC, and because I would like to keep that content separate and focused on a singular, dedicated devotional blog, I have A Pilgrim's Progress. Therein, I have incorporated devotional content over the past few few months from For God, Family and Republic to jump-start it. Likewise, I have began adding new proprietary content from time to time.

Additionally, I have made Christian Covenanter, which is an online journal of conservative thought, which features cultural and political criticism from a uniquely conservative, Christian perspective. Likewise, I have incorporated devotional content over the past few few months from For God, Family and Republic to jump-start it. I have added some proprietary content as well.

From to time, I might cross-over content to both For God, Family and Republic and my network of proprietary blogs. Sometimes, the idea is just to bring attention to content I think is important from my regular blog, so I might make an occasional link or reference when the need arises.

"In the year of our Lord Thirteen-Hundred and Fourteen, patriots of Scotland, starving and outnumbered, charged the fields of Bannockburn. They fought like warrior poets. They fought like Scotsmen. And won their freedom."
—Braveheart movie narrator

The Battle of Bannockburn
Click here for audio history from Electric Scotland, which requires Real Audio.

BANNOCKBURN was a most pivotal and decisive battle in Scotland's wars of independence in the early fourteenth century. The Scottish forces, although much smaller, outnumbered and not as well-armed, were better led and better positioned tactically at the behest of Robert the Bruce, King of Scotland. As Edward hoped to relieve the English-held castle at Stirling, they met on the field on June 23-24, 1314. King Edward II's armies were superior in numbers, troop strength, and calvary. The English led over 2,000 knights and 15,000 infantry, including about 5,000 archers. Bruce had only 500 light cavalry and little over 6,000 light foot soldiers, mostly spearman. The Scots positioned themselves with the backs to the forest so that any English Calvary charge would leave the English canvasing through the open swampy moors, and vulnerable to Scottish archers in the open field and with their back to the water of the River Forth, and without a line of retreat. As both English infantry and calvary took to the field, it worked to their advantage. Ultimately, the Scots charged the field and overwhelmed the English in spite of their numbers. Some tried fleeing across the River Forth, and others tried running back across the open fields only to get cut down. At the end of the day, Edward barely escaped capture as his armies fled.

It has been over six-hundred and ninety-two years since this pivotal battle. It didn't mark the end of the Scottish war for independence, which went on for eighteen more years. The Scottish ultimately secured their victory in the middle ages, and put an end to English pretensions that the whole of sceptered isle would belong to them.

The Significance of Bannockburn
To be certain, the battle victory secured on the fields of Bannockburn became the foundation of Scottish independence. There at Bannockburn the Scots seized the last castle stronghold at Stirling which is in a central position in lower Scotland, and of great strategic value. This battle carries significance also, because the armies of Robert the Bruce was outnumbered three to one, by a better-equipped English army. However, Robert carried the advantage because of superior tactics, and he took the best positions on the field at the onset of the engagement on June 23. Providence was on his side no less.

'It is in truth not for glory, nor riches, nor honours that we are fighting, but for freedom — for that alone, which no honest man gives up but with life itself.'
—Declaration of Arbroath, Extract, 1320.

History versus Hollywood
Hollywood incidentally does Robert the Bruce no justice, as the film Braveheart portrayed him as a conniving, duplicitious opportunist who merely held his finger in the wind, to see where the wind was blowing in order to ascertain his political considerations. Never on any occasion did Bruce betray Wallace. This was a portrayal totally out of touch with historical reality. In reality, Robert the Bruce was much more calculating, strategic-minded, and even diplomatic when necessary, and apt to press his advantage only when the presumed risk was worth the reward. While it took William Wallace's patriotism and daring to inspire the Scots to fight against formidable odds, it was ultimately Robert the Bruce calculating mind who lead the Scots to victory after Wallace's tragic death. Bruce had qualities of patience and shrewdness, which kept the Scottish armies alive in a well-coordinated war of attrition or guerilla warfare against a much better-equipped, better-trained, and superior English army. Wallace's boldness perhaps cost him his life prematurely. I hope in my conveying this sentiment, I do no perceived injustice to Wallace's historical legacy, for his accomplishments are celebrated because they were great too.

Seeking forgiveness for his sins, and all of the incessant warfare that ensued during his reign, Robert the Bruce's famous last words were perhaps addressed to his family heirs as well as his people, the Scots:

Now, God be with you, my dear children. I have ate with you and shall sup with my Lord Jesus Christ.

Related Web Sites:
Battle of Bannockburn - Answers.com
Battle of Bannockburn - Electric Scotland
Bannockburn Battle Site Map
Bannockburn Day
Bruce & Bannockburn
Robert the Bruce - Answers.com
Robert the Bruce - Britannia


Further Reading:
The Battle of Bannockburn

Visit the official web site of The End of the Spear film from EveryTribe Entertainment for previews, multimedia, and more information about this exciting new film. This film has just been released on DVD this past mid-June.

The Official Synoposis from the Producers of End of the Spear:

Worlds collide and tragedy strikes as a missionary group journeys to the heart of the Amazon jungle in search of the Waodani or Huaorani, a tribe of fierce warriors on the brink of extinction due to revenge killings. When five of the missionary men are speared to death by tribesmen, their families are left husbandless and fatherless. Undeterred by their tremendous loss and spurred on by hope, the families decide to remain in Ecuador, and risk living among the Waodani. But the effects of that first encounter have yet to subside: A young boy, struggling to unlock the secret of his father’s death, must learn to accept a tragedy he cannot change in this powerful true story of sacrifice, courage, and reconciliation.

Ryan's Succinct Movie Review
Well, I just saw this film this past night, and no sooner than I finish it, I'm reviewing it a few hours later. It's really captivating, and though there are mild interludes of cinematic violence. Though, the underlying message of this film is one of redemption. Overall, it's a great movie, sad at times, but compelling.

This movie based on a true story about five Christian missionaries who set out on a mission of hope to reach the Woadani. Yet they were killed mercilously in the jungles of Ecuador in 1956 by the very people they hoped to reach. John 15:13 proclaims, "Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends." The fallen missionaries were Jim Elliot, Pete Fleming, Ed McCully, Nate Saint and Roger Youderian. This film also revolves around a young boy Steve Saint's quest to find out what exactly happened to his father. The missionaries had set out to befriend the Woadani, an unreached people group deep in the jungles of Ecuador, but their initial effort ended in tragedy. The Christian theme is compelling, yet subtle and underlying. The missionaries embrace the Gospel in their lives, which is one of the more compelling ways that they convey it.

In an ironic turn, the widows and family of the lost missionaries make an effort to reach the Woadani, and share the light of the Gospel and live among them. Matthew 5:44 proclaims, "But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you." Through their translator, they tell of a God who gave His life, and was speared, and in a bittersweet irony they turn the tragic deaths of their loved ones into an opportunity to manifest the Good News of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Isaiah 53:5 proclaims, "But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed." It is a compelling message of self-sacrifice, forgiveness and reconciliation.

I had also read in a local features magazine from Wilmington, North Carolina where the director lives. He says that had been called by Christ and saved, and he now wants to dedicate his life to directing films that are morally-redeeming, family-friendly, and of interest to Christians.

Please visit their official website for previews and consider purchasing or renting this exciting film on DVD. I whole-heartedly recommend it.

Click here for a sermon on The Resurrection, a sermon by the real Jim Elliot. It requires Real Audio player,

Related Articles:
End of the Spear Tells of Forgiveness, Reconciliation - AgapePress
Jim Elliot Papers - Billy Graham Center
Jim Elliot - Portraits of Great Christians - In Touch Ministries

Click here for the article on Christian Covenanter entitled, "Good Bye United States of America! Hello North American Union!"

Related Articles:

• Building a North American Community - Council of Foreign Relations (a globalist think tank)


• Bush sneaking North American super-state without oversight? - WorldNetDaily


• Bush 'super-state' documents sought: FOIA request filed to expose plans for 'North American union' - WorldNetDaily


• Goodbye USA, Hello North American Union? - Arutz Sheva


• Hillary and Cronkite call for world government - WorldNetDaily


• It's Time for a North American Union - Ft. Worth Star-Telegram


• North American Union to Replace USA? - Human Events Online


• Tancredo confronts 'super-state' effort - WorldNetDaily


• United States of North America - The New American

Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth, as it is in Heaven

The late George Eldon Ladd, a theological luminary of the prestigious Fuller Theological Seminary wrote this theological piece on Christ's Kingdom. In my humble opinion, Ladd does a good job explaining the nature of the Kingdom of God succinctly for laity. The kingdom is beset by a here, but not quite here yet tension, and many theologians fail to grasp that.

The benefits of Salvation worked by Christ which are applied to us by the Spirit, by grace through faith. Our pivotal reflection should be upon the Cross work of Christ, and recognition that the application of those meritous works is through the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit quickens us, makes us alive, and brings us from spiritual death to spiritual life. Furthermore, the Spirit illuminates our depraved minds and hearts to the truth of the Gospel, that we may freely embrace God's grace and eternal life (Eph. 2:1-10). But it all comes back to Jesus Christ, and His finished work.

Interestingly, towards the end of this piece, Ladd invokes an analogy with D-Day and V-Day analogous to that used in my sermon. Again, D-Day is analagous to the Cross, and V-Day is analagous to Glorification in the life of the believer. Again, in a sense, as my colloquial phrase in my sermon declared of true believers in Christ: "We are being saved yesterday, today, and tomorrow." As Hebrews 12:2 admonishes us, "Looking unto Jesus, the author and perfector of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." God preserves His flock and sustains our faith.

Ladd writes:

We have pointed out that it was part of the main mission of Jesus to overthrow the power of Satan. Paul sees this as being accomplished also by Jesus' death and resurrection. "He disarmed the principalities and powers and made a public example of them, triumphing over them in him" (Col. 2:15) . One of the main motifs in the New Testament as to the meaning of Jesus' resurrection and ascension is his victory over the powers of evil. On the day of Pentecost, Peter sounded this note. 'The Lord [God] said to my Lord [Messiah], Sit at my right hand, till I make thy enemies a stool for thy feet" (Acts 2:34). Christ has already rendered Satan a decisive defeat; but Satan is not yet destroyed. "For he [Christ] must reign [as King and Messiah.] until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death" (I Cor. 15:25 - 26).

This touches on the theology of the Kingdom of God. Jesus is finally to "deliver the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power" (I Cor. 15:24). The Kingdom of God is God's rule, manifested in Christ. We have already seen that Jesus' act of exorcising demons — of delivering men and women from Satanic power — was the outward evidence that the Kingdom of God has come to men in history (Matt. 12:28). In his resurrection and exaltation he was enthroned at the right hand of God (Acts 2:34-36). He is even now reigning as messianic King. Men and women continue to be delivered from bondage to darkness and transferred into the Kingdom of Christ (Col. 1:13). But the world does not know it. The world goes on as though Jesus had never come, as though the Kingdom of God was merely a dream. There are indeed millions of Christian believers in the world today who express his Lordship, who seek the ways of peace and righteousness. But they are not enough to mold the course of nations. Jesus himself said that there would be disturbances, wars, evils, and persecutions throughout the course of the age. The presence of God's Kingdom in the historical mission of Jesus was primarily a spiritual event. Although he has been defeated, Satan and the powers of evil are still very much with us. The world is still an evil place. The nations of the world ignore God and his Kingdom.

This is why the Second Coming of Christ is necessary — to complete the work begun in he his Incarnation. There are, in other words, two great events in God's conquest of the powers of evil, two invasions of God into history: the Incarnation and the Second Coming. One scholar has illustrated this by an analogy from World War II. There were two steps in the victory over Nazi Germany: D-Day and V-Day. Once the allies had launched a successful invasion upon the continent and the allied armies had secured a foothold and started their drive across France, the tide of battle turned. The allies were advancing, Germany was in retreat. But there remained much bitter fighting, which lasted until the complete capitulation of the enemy - V-Day. Then the fighting ceased; peace reigned.

So Jesus has invaded the realm of Satan and rendered him a decisive defeat. Because of Jesus' victory in his life, death, and exaltation, the tide of battle has turned. Since Pentecost the gospel of the Kingdom of God has been preached in nearly all the world, and an ever increasing multitude of men and women are rescued from the dominion of Satan and brought under the reign of Christ. An ever enlarging number of people bow before the Lordship of Christ. But he must reign until "every enemy is put beneath his feet" (I Cor. 15:25). Since these enemies are spiritual enemies - Satanic enemies - this is a victory that neither men nor the church can win. It can only be done by a direct act of God. The power that was in the incarnate Jesus in hidden and veiled form will be manifested in power and glory.

Another way of looking at the same fact: Jesus is now the Lord; he is enthroned at the right hand of God; he is reigning in his Kingdom. But this is a Lordship and a kingly reign which is known only to believers. It must be confessed by faith. His Second Coming will mean nothing less than the Lordship which is his now will be made visible to all the world. When we pray, "Thy kingdom come," this is what we are praying for: the effectual and universal rule of Christ in all the world, not only over believers. Then, when his Kingdom comes, "at the name of Jesus every knee [shall] bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father" (Phil. 2:10-11).

Ladd, George Eldon. The Last Things: An Eschatology For Laymen. (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Pub. Co. 1978.) pp. 46-48.

I highly recomend that you take a gander at George Ladd's books, particularly The Gospel of the Kingdom.

Additional ackowledgements. Free photograph courtesy of FreeFoto.com.

Looking Unto Jesus, the Author and Finisher of Our Faith! an original pulpit sermon by Ryan M. Setliff... a sinner saved by God's grace

6/18 Note: This sermon and the accompanying Acrobat PDF file have been updated and tweaked over the original posting within the last month. I'm still looking to polish it a little bit before the next delivery, and I will make a run with it perhaps at more than one church congregation.

It's frankly a lot easier to read if you utilize Adobe Acrobat. Click here to download the Adobe Acrobat PDF version. i. Sermon Purpose

The purpose of this message today is to study and reflect upon how the redemptive work of Christ is applied to the believer and how God is truly the author and finisher of our faith. It encompasses an overview of the Ordo Salutis (“Order of Salvation”) and its attendant doctrines, specifically: Predestination and Election, the Gospel Call, Regeneration, Justification, Adoption, Sanctification and Glorification.

ii. Sermon Abstract

The crux of this sermon is that God is truly the author and finisher of our faith. In a sense, we’re being saved yesterday, today and tomorrow. We were saved before the foundation of time when God the Father set us apart and destined us for redemption and glorification; we were saved two millenniums ago through the atoning death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ; we were saved by the miraculous work of the Holy Spirit through regeneration; and we will be saved tomorrow when we are raised in glorification, fully sanctified and thus conformed to the image of Christ. Thus, the doctrine of ordo salutis teaches us how redemption is accomplished and applied. This sermon illustrates how God works in the course of redemptive history—as well as the life of the believer.

iii. Delivery

The approximate delivery time is forty minutes. I memorize a great deal of the contents, have it fresh on my mind, so that a casual glance jogs my memory, and I have a skeleton outline handy. I make attentive and careful use of voice inflexion for point of emphasis and connect with my audience through regular eye contact. I interject on occasion with insights aside from the written sermon. Recognizing my earlier weakness in sermon delivery, I will try and slow my tempo—that is the speed of delivery and keep the congregation focused by not losing them with too fast of a pace in delivery. I might make passing reference to Scripture references of block quotations, but mention of most of my bracketed remarks is not necessary, but for my reference.

I. (Key Verse)

Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. [Hebrews 12:2 NKJV]

[Hebrews 12:2 Greek Koine]

II. Sermon Opening

The annals of history record two very important events toward the end of World War Two, D-Day and VE-Day—or Victory in Europe Day. D-Day took place on June 6, 1944, over sixty years ago, when the Allies secured a beachhead preparing for the largest waterborne invasion in history. They stormed the coast of Normandy France effectively breaching Hitler’s vaunted Atlantic wall. D-Day marked the turning point of World War Two and Hitler’s fate was sealed. On D-Day and the days immediately following it, the enemy sustained mortal wounds yet he did not succumb fully. Fierce battles were fought in the eleven months following the D-Day landing. Victory in its fullness would not come until May 7, 1945 with VE-Day as the German war machine was left crippled and the remaining forces surrendered. I invoke this lesson in history to make an analogy. For the Christian believer, the Cross was our D-Day. At that rugged Cross at Calvary, Christ bore all of our sins and iniquities, and effectively freed his people from the bondage of sin. It is solely on the basis of his atoning death, burial and resurrection that we are justified. He was the perfect sacrifice for our sins. Nonetheless, final victory awaits the return of our Lord and Savior. On our V-Day—on our day of victory—all those of faith will be raised in glory and perfection. Those of faith will receive a glorious resurrection body, and thus fully conformed to the image of Christ.

III. Sermon Capsule

So, when were you saved? Speaking of his salvation, the Apostle Paul answered that question, and he declared in 2 Timothy 1:9 that he was saved before the world began.

Who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began. [2 Timothy 1:9]

He acknowledged being saved when Christ came into the world to save sinners:

This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief. [1 Timothy 1:15]

And he further declares that all of those of faith are…

Being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. [Romans 3:24]

He acknowledges being saved by the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit, which illuminated the truth of the Gospel to his depraved mind:

But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior. [Titus 3:4-6]

He even acknowledges being saved when he took heed to sound doctrine:

Take heed to yourself and to the doctrine. Continue in them, for in doing this you will save both yourself and those who hear you. [1 Timothy 4:16]

In acknowledging the blessed assurance for those of faith, he declared that he would be saved sometime in the future:

And do this, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed. [Romans 13:11]

Thus, the Apostle Paul declares that was saved before the world began when the Holy Spirit regenerated him, when he took heed to sound doctrine, and he proclaims that he would be saved sometime in the future. Indeed, all those of faith have been saved yesterday, we’re saved today, and we’re going to be saved tomorrow—at our day of glorification. The purpose of this message today is to study and reflect upon how the redemptive work of Christ is applied to the believer and how God is truly the author and finisher of our faith.

IV. The Eternal Phase: Predestination

The first phase of redemptive history we shall examine is the eternal phase. The Apostle Paul declares in 2 Timothy 1:9 that he was saved before the world began:

Who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began. [2 Timothy 1:9]

Imagine that, for those who savor the sweet nectar of saving faith, the good Lord set you apart and he foreknew you, and destined you to be redeemed and conformed to the image of Jesus Christ. And He did so that he would manifest His power and His glory—long before you were ever born or ever done any good or evil.

For the children not yet being born, nor having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works but of Him who calls. [Romans 9:11]

The Scripture plainly says that God does not predicate his choosing you on the basis of anything you do, but according to “the good pleasure of his will” in Ephesians 2:5. This divine choice is an expression of the free and sovereign grace of God. It is not merited by anything in those chosen.

V. The Vital Phase: Regeneration

The vital phase of regeneration is the application of regeneration is the application of the works and obedience of Christ to each and every believer individually through the efficacious inward working of the Holy Spirit. The Apostle Paul declares that he was saved when the Holy Spirit regenerated him in Titus 3:5,

…Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit. [Titus 3:5]

Our Lord Jesus himself reminds us that the new birth is absolutely necessary for salvation:

…Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. [John 3:3]

The Holy Spirit makes the initial move in you. For Christ declares,

Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit. [John 3:7-8]

You no more initiated your new birth than did Lazarus initiate his resurrection when Christ raised him from the dead. Dead men do not raise themselves. The Holy Spirit regenerates us, brings us from spiritual death to spiritual life, having convicted us of our sins and convinced us of our need for a Savior. Turn with me to Ephesians chapter two, and carefully note the words of the Apostle Paul,

1 And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, 2 in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, 3 among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others. 4 But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved.) [Ephesians 2:1-5]

We respond freely and willfully in faith and repentance once our hearts are regenerated by the Holy Spirit. God does not believe in Christ for us, it is the sinner who believes. With our regenerate hearts, we warmly embrace the good news of the Gospel of Jesus Christ—that precious Gospel that saves souls. Regeneration is entirely the efficacious, supernatural work of the Holy Spirit which regenerates our hardened hearts and illuminates our depraved minds to the truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Its’ effect is to quicken us—to make us alive—effectively bringing us from spiritual death to spiritual life. There is no preceding disposition in the heart of the sinner that effectuates or triggers regeneration. Regeneration is wholly the work of God. Regeneration precedes faith. The sola in the great Reformation credo sola fide (“faith alone”)—means faith without the addition of any meritous human action whatsoever. As Ian Paisley says, "The Blessed Christ of God has finished the work. It is not Christ's sacrifice plus anything, it's Christ's blood and Christ's blood alone that saves the soul." This efficacious work of regeneration wrought out by the Holy Spirit is all of God. The Apostle Paul reminds us:

So then it is not of him who wills, nor of him who runs, but of God who shows mercy. [Romans 9:16]

You had no more say as to when the Holy Spirit first crept upon you to regenerate your hardened heart to effectuate your new birth than you had say so in your first birth. Because of the nature of sinful fallen man, he is in enmity with God.

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. [Romans 6:23]

That sinful man has no awareness of his perilous condition. He has neither the eyes to see nor the ears to hear the truth of the Gospel. He is SPIRITUALLY DEAD!!! So God sends His Holy Spirit to perform a miraculous regenerating—the renewal and transformation of the inward condition of the sinful person. The Holy Spirit miraculously changes sinner's rebellious heart into a heart possessed of faith, love for the Lord, and godly sorrow over sin. The Apostle Paul declares,

Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God. These things we also speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual. [1 Corinthians 2:12-13]

It is only through the miraculous work of the Holy Spirit that we have the eyes to see and the ears the truth of the Gospel.

The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned. [1 Corinthians 2:14]

The regenerate sinner has the Gospel illuminated to his sinful mind which gives him awareness of his perilous condition as a sinner. There he is finally faced with the consequences and guilt of his sins. The sinner foresees the certainty of a just judgment against him. Despairing in this state, that man only finds consolation and hope through Jesus Christ.

For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death. [2 Corinthians 7:10]

Through faith, the regenerate believer recognizes himself as a sinner in need of God's saving grace and pleads to God for His power and love to save him through the blood and righteousness of Jesus Christ. Through repentance, he loathes his sinfulness and turns to God as the only source of righteousness while endeavoring to walk in faith and obedience. A repentant heart is the fruit of regeneration. Thus, the Apostle Paul makes it clear that:

8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast. [Ephesians 2:8-9]

VI. Justification: The Legal Phase

The gracious act of justification is a declaration of a believer’s righteous standing in the eyes of God. Justification has to do with the legal side of salvation. Justification and justified are judicial words, and thus part of the legal lexicon of the courts. To be declared justified is a sentence of judgment upon a person who stands before a court. Justification is the act of God’s free grace unto sinners, in which he pardons all their sins and accepts them as righteous in His sight. Though God justifies believers, He does NOT do so because of anything wrought in them nor any good work done by them, but rather because the righteousness and perfect obedience of Christ that is imputed to their account—and received by faith alone. In his epistle to the Romans, the Apostle Paul reminds us of man’s innate depravity and his helpless condition as a sinner:

For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. [Romans 3:23]

Furthermore, the prophet Isaiah makes it clear,

And all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags in the eyes of God. [Isaiah 64:6]

And though we are yet sinners, the good Lord commands us to:

Be holy, for I am holy. [1 Peter 1:16]

God’s absolute, immutable, and unassailable standards demand PERFECTION! Perfect HOLINESS! Perfect RIGHTEOUSNESS! Perfect OBEDIENCE! The law of God by its very nature demands PERFECTION! Though, the function of the law has never been to justify a sinner but rather to reveal sin. Indeed, no man can justify themselves by works of the law except Christ Jesus our Lord. As the letter to the Hebrews makes clear, Christ was the perfect sacrifice for our sins. The law remains for us, an instructive and illustrative guide to the holy standards of God. The law exists to bring us to knowledge of sin, that we might come under conviction of sinful nature, and our need for a savior to fulfill the demands of the law. And it is only through the efficacious work of the Holy Spirit that all of those of faith are convicted of their condition as a sinner, and their need for a savior. The Apostle Paul declares,

Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith. [Galatians 3:24]

Turn with me now to Romans chapter three, verse twenty-one:

But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, 22 even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference; 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25 whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, … [Romans 3:20-25]

Our blessed Lord, through the wonderful work of justification has declared all those of faith as righteous. When we are justified in Christ, all sins are forgiven—whether past, present or future. Though, we were once the fallen sons of Adam and cursed by sin, those of faith in Christ are now God’s redeemed.

Therefore, as through one man’s offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through one Man’s righteous act the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life. For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man’s obedience many will be made righteous. [Romans 5:17-19]

Thus, our legal standing before Him in the High Court of Heaven has been changed, and the righteousness of Christ is imputed to our account. Christ’s righteousness is now the legal possession of the believer:

Just as David describes the blessedness of the man to whom God imputes righteousness apart from works: Blessed are those whose whose lawless deeds are forgive, And Whose sins are covered; Blessed is the man to whom the Lord shall not impute sin. [Romans 4:6-8]

Though we of faith are fully justified in Christ, we are by no means fully sanctified until our glorification—our V-Day, that is our day of victory. Untold doctrinal problems and confusion have emerged because people fail to draw a distinction between justification and sanctification. Justification is not the infusion of righteousness but rather a forensic declaration, a verdict, a ruling by a judge. Every misconstrued notion of justification emanates from a denial of the nature and totality of sin in man’s life. Theologian Arthur W. Pink declares, ‘Justification refers not to any subjective change wrought in a person’s disposition, but rather an objective change in his standing in relation to the law.’ And while justification and sanctification are intricately connected, they are separate divine acts of grace that do not occur together. The Puritan preacher Jonathan Edwards explains, “A person is said to be justified when he is approved of God as free from the guilt of sin and its deserved punishment; and as having that righteousness belonging to him that entitles him to the reward of life.” The 1689 London Baptist Confession of Faith tells us:

Those whom God effectually calleth, he also freely justifieth, not by infusing righteousness into them, but by pardoning their sins, and by accounting and accepting their persons as righteous; not for anything wrought in them, or done by them, but for Christ's sake alone; not by imputing faith itself, the act of believing, or any other evangelical obedience to them, as their righteousness; but by imputing Christ's active obedience unto the whole law, and passive obedience in his death for their whole and sole righteousness by faith, which faith they have not of themselves; it is the gift of God. [LBC 1689, Chapter 11, §1]

The London Confession further tell us:

Faith thus receiving and resting on Christ and his righteousness, is alone the instrument of justification; yet it is not alone in the person justified, but is ever accompanied with all other saving graces, and is no dead faith, but worketh by love. [LBC 1689, Chapter 11, §2]

Faith alone remains our instrument of justification.

Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. [Romans 5:1-2]

When I stand before God the Father on judgment day, I will have an advocate in Christ Jesus. Christ is my advocate, or as it is called in Greek, parakletos. Satan is known in Greek as the diabolos, which means the accuser, adversary, slanderer, calumniator, backbiter, enemy, and the one who separates. Satan plays the role of the prosecutor. When my accuser Satan rises to toss out accusations of my unworthiness, and when he prosecutes me with the accusation of being unworthy and unfit for the kingdom of God, my advocate Christ Jesus will rise up in my defense.

But bear in mind, at the judgment seat of God the Father, no one pleads the Fifth and there are no acquittals and exonerations. I will be counted righteous in the eyes of my Heavenly Father, not because of any intrinsic righteousness in me, but because of the righteousness of Jesus Christ that is imputed to my account just as my sins were imputed to Him on the Cross. And through Christ’s perfect righteousness, I am declared justified in the eyes of God. With the righteousness of Christ reckoned to my account, I will be counted holy and blameless before God the Father on my day of judgment! Thus, I will be reconciled to my Heavenly Father with open arms and in love. Yet the justice that Gods demand is fully satisfied. Why? For the reason, I have been declared ‘just’ through the imputed righteousness of my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. The penalty of my transgressions against God’s law is laid upon a substitute, a perfect sacrifice—Jesus Christ—Jehovah—Yeshua. God the Father always unequivocally accepts the work of Christ on behalf of His people, and on that basis, we are justified and declared righteous. The whole penalty of sin has been removed by Christ for all believers who are in Union with Him. And it all comes back to the Cross,

5 But He was pierced for our transgressions. He was crushed for our iniquities. The punishment that brought our peace was on him; and by his wounds we are healed. 6 All we like sheep have gone astray. Everyone has turned to his own way; and Yahweh has laid on him the iniquity of us all. 7 He was oppressed, yet when he was afflicted he didn't open his mouth. As a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and as a sheep that before its shearers is mute, so he didn't open his mouth. 8 He was taken away by oppression and judgment; and as for his generation, who considered that he was cut off out of the land of the living and stricken for the disobedience of my people? [Isaiah 53:5-8]

On my D-Day, Christ bore my sins and inequities on that rugged Cross at Calvary. And on my V-Day, I will receive my glorious resurrection body and thus be fully conformed to the image of Christ. Salvation is all of God!

VII. Adoption: The Familial Phase

The doctrine of adoption simply teaches that all those of faith are adopted in the family of Christ, and are reconciled to our Heavenly Father as sons and daughters through Jesus Christ. As the Westminster Short Catechism says, “Adoption is an act of God's free grace, whereby we are received into the number, and have a right to all the privileges of the sons of God.” [WSC, Q. 34] The believer's adoption into the family of God occurs simultaneously with justification. Our eternal destiny as children of God was to be reconciled to our Heavenly Father and adopted into His family.

Just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, 5 having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, 6 to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved. [Ephesians 1:4-6]

Now, God had set his love on those of faith from the foundation of time, with His Holy Spirit he regenerates their hearts, grants them faith and repentance, and justifies and adopts them into his family.

14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. 15 For you did not receive the spirit of the world again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.” 16 The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, [Romans 8:14-16]

Understanding this doctrine means that we should recognize the nature of our relationship with God, which is like that of parent to a child. We of faith have a Heavenly Father who hears our prayers and who loves us as children. We have a Savior who empathizes with our weaknesses—who was tempted in all points as we were, and yet perfect and without sin. The London Baptist Confession tells us:

All those who are justified shall be made partakers of the grace of adoption, by which they are taken into the number of the children of God and enjoy their liberties and privileges. They have His name put upon them, and receive the Spirit of adoption. They have access to the throne of grace with boldness, and are enabled to cry, 'Abba, Father!' They are pitied, protected, provided for, and chastened by Him as by a father, yet they are never cast off, but are sealed to the day of redemption, when they inherit the promises as heirs of everlasting salvation. [LBC 1689, Chapter 12]

VIII. Sanctification: The Practical Phase

The next phase is the practical phase, which is the progressive work of sanctification by the Holy Spirit wrought out in the hearts of believers.To sanctify means to consecrate, to set apart, to make holy. Sanctification is God’s work to purify us and make us holy.

For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. [Ephesians 2:10]

We cannot help but to exhibit the righteousness of God when his Spirit indwells us, but since we are still in the flesh, we will inevitably fall short of his perfect righteousness.

But we are bound to give thanks to God always for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God from the beginning chose you for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth, to which He called you by our gospel, for the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. [2 Thessalonians 2:13-14]

God works in us through His indwelling Holy Spirit to do good works. The Apostle Paul conveys this point in his letter to the church at Phillipi:

Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure. Do all things without complaining and disputing. [Phillipians 2:12-13]

Sanctification is a cooperative effort between man and God, but without God supplying the means, true sanctification is impossible and our cooperation stems from our desire to become more holy. However, the means of obtaining holiness are wholly supplied by God’s indwelling Holy Spirit.

“Sanctify yourselves, for tomorrow the LORD will do wonders among you.” [Joshua 3:5]

Likewise, we are exhorted by the Scriptures to gain awareness and assurance that we possess a genuine saving faith. We’re to examine our faith. This call to cooperation involves work on our part—in order to strive to walk in the Spirit and examine the fruit of the Spirit in our own lives. Our task is not to grieve the Spirit but rather to walk in faith dependant upon the Holy Spirit, and draw ourselves to God. Both God and man play key roles in the gracious work of sanctification. God, by his amazing grace initiates our salvation through the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit, and He imparts in us a desire to overcome and turn away from sin. Faith and repentance are the active response of the new man—of the man whose heart is regenerated by the Holy Spirit. J.C. Ryle reminds us,

…When I speak of a man growing in grace, I mean simply this – that his sense of sin is becoming deeper, his faith stronger, his hope brighter, his love more extensive, his spiritual-mindedness more marked. He feels more of the power of godliness in his own heart. He manifests more of it in his life. He is going on from strength to strength, from faith to faith, and from grace to grace

Each and every day, we of faith are progressively being sanctified, and we should earnestly strive to be doers and not just hearers of the Word. In his second epistle, Simon Peter exhorts his readers to make every effort to pile up spiritual virtues:

5 But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, 6 to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, 7 to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love. 8 For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 For he who lacks these things is shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins. 10 Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble; 11 for so an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. [2 Peter 1:5-11]

Our on-going sanctification should strengthen our assurance of salvation as we see evidences of a true saving faith in our lives. Indeed, Christianity is observable. Thus, when James declares that “faith without works is dead,” he is describing the nature of a genuine saving faith manifested as fruit of the Spirit, which the Apostle Paul expounds upon in his letter to the Galatians:

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. [Galatians 5:22-23]

When we recognize that we are freely justified by his grace and that only the meritous work for our salvation is the Cross-work of Christ, we ought to gain assurance of our salvation. We should recognize that our own works avail nothing for our salvation. We should place our trust solely in the meritous work of Christ on the Cross. And knowing that without Christ’s enabling we cannot do good works then we should recognize our total and complete dependence upon Almighty God, and continually seek His help. We should be mindful of the blessed assurance of redemption and find comfort and solace in the words of Christ:

My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand. [John 10:27-29]

Turn with me to Romans chapter eight, and pay special attention to the words of this familiar passage:

And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified. [Romans 8:28-31]

God makes use of all things that come our way for our sanctification: our triumphs; our trials; our affliction; our hardship, and our sorrow over sin. He uses these things to mold and shape us—he uses all these things to sanctify us. And we endure all these things through Christ who strengthens us. Also, the Apostle Paul is affirming a very clear sequential order of salvation—predestination, effectual calling, justification and glorification. We’re fully sanctified on V-Day—on our day of Victory—when Christ raises up all believers in perfect, incorruptible and glorious resurrection bodies to make manifest his power and his glory. And on that glorious, climatic day, we shall enter his heavenly kingdom. We will no longer be defiled and corrupted by sin, and no longer scourged with death and suffering, and it will all be to the glory of God!

IX. The Final Phase: Glorification

The final phase of redemptive history is our day of glorification, which has yet to come.

And do this, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed. [Romans 13:11]

The doctrine of glorification refers to the time of Christ’s Second Advent, when all true believers—living and dead—will have full and final redemption and the process of sanctification will be completed!

Now the Son of Man is glorified, and God is glorified in Him. [John 13:31]

On our glorious Day of Victory, God raises up all believers in perfect, incorruptible and glorious resurrection bodies to make manifest his power and His Glory. And on that glorious, climatic day, we shall enter his Heavenly Kingdom. We will no longer be defiled and corrupted by sin, and no longer be scourged with death and suffering, and it will all be to the glory of God! And as the Congregationalist preacher Jonathan Edwards proclaimed, God’s ultimate end is the manifestation of His glory in the highest happiness of his creatures. God gets the Glory and those of faith get the free gift of life everlasting.

X. (Closing – ‘Onward Christian Soldiers’)

More than a half-century ago, General Dwight D. Eisenhower inaugurated the D-Day invasion on Normandy beach with these hallowed words:

Soldiers… You are about to embark upon a Great Crusade, toward which we have striven these many months. The eyes of the world are upon you. The hopes and prayers of liberty-loving people everyone march with you… you will bring about the destruction of the German war machine, … and security for ourselves in a free world. Your enemy is well trained, well-equipped and battle-hardened. He will fight savagely.

Brothers and sisters, likewise the Christian walk is indeed like a great crusade! Each and every day we wrestle against the wiles of adversary the devil. The Apostle Paul reminds us,

You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ [2 Timothy 2:3]

We must take up our Cross, walk in faith, and follow Him. And remember we have an advocate and a savior in Christ Jesus. At that Cross of Calvary, before Christ gave up spirit, he declared, “It is finished.” At that moment, Christ freed us—all those of faith—from the of sin and secured our eternal destiny. Paul reminds us,

…If God is for us, who can be against us? [Romans 8:31]

Indeed, death is swallowed up in victory!

O Death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory? But thanks be to God, who gives us victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. [1 Corinthians 15:55;57]

And while our D-Day has already arrived, we patiently await our V-Day—our glorious day of Victory—when we are raised in glory. Now, brethren walk in faith for…

…Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen! For by it the elders obtained a good testimony. [Hebrews 11:1-2]

Brethren as you continue on your great crusade as a Christian soldier, progressing in your on-going sanctification by the Holy Spirit, continue to walk steadfast in faith, redeeming the time. And put on the whole armor of God to quench the firey darts of your adversary, the devil, and always…

Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. [Hebrews 12:2]

Truly, God is the author and finisher of our faith! Let us give thanks.

[prayer] XI. Closing Hymn

Onward Christian Soldiers, composed by Arthur S. Sullivan, 1871. (1) (2)

Today, June 15, 2006, is the 790th anniversary of the signing of the Magna Carta which took place at Runnymede, England on June 15, 1215. Please see my post on Christian Covenanter, simply entitled "The Magna Charta" for more information.

This is just another compelling reason not to drink beer!!


This Bud is NOT for you guys!!

Partisans and Redcoats: The Southern Conflict That Turned the Tide of the American Revolution is a succinct and readable narrative history of the American War for Independence with a focus on the Carolinas and the Southern theater—with a particular focus on the Carolina backcountry. The cast of characters includes patriots like Martha Bratton, Horatio Gates, Joseph Kershaw, and Francis Marion. "The American Revolution was won in the South by determined backcountry patriots," notes Edgar. "Some, such as Andrew Pickens and Thomas Sumter, became American folk heroes." I really like Edgar's book, because it is short and sweet. The body of the text is just one-hundred and forty-five pages. What makes this succinct book so remarkable is that Edgar tells the story and puts you in the shoes of the backcountry frontiersmen. The backdrop he paints of colonial South Carolina prior to the war shows how fragile civilization and civil society was on the frontier. He astutely explains the rigors of frontier life in the Carolina backcountry. He captures the essence of the tempestuous and rugged individualism of the Scotch-Irish settlers which were predominant in the region. Edgar tells of the sectarian animosities and strife that ensued. In one case, the tale of feuding Ulster Scot Presbyterians and Anglicans was rather humorous.** Law and order was hard to come by on the frontier, and criminal gangs of thieves and extortionists were rampant. Blood feuds and social strife ensued as a general rule. This gave rise to vigilante and posse groups like the Regulators who were eventually deputized. Eventually, the forces of ordered liberty quelled the forces of anarchy. The vigalante groups after some abuses were obliged to check one another at the behest of the State legislature. Former elements of such groups like the Regulators and Moderators provided foot soldiers, scouts, and frontiersmen to field the Continental Army and the State Militia during the war.

British policy was coldly deliberate in its policy of total war. Though total war was typically only felt in areas of entrenched, stubborn resistance: the South Carolina backcountry was such a place. "In a Civil War, there is no admitting of neutral characteristics, and... those who are not clearly with us must so far be considered against us," noted British Commander Lord Cornwallis. Edgar catches the drama in his narrative history of families being torn apart and communities being torn asunder amidst reprisals and counter-reprisals. Partisans and Redcoats captures the sacrifices of patriots, the costliness of war, and the devastation it wrings out on civil society. Not surprisingly, the heat of the war gave rise to lawlessness, and Edgar tells some tales of home invasions and plunder. The peasant rabble of the South Carolina backcountry, so deplored by the Tory gentry actually gave the British one heck of a fight. The partisans were greatly underestimated and dismissed as boorish incompetents incapable of waging civilised war. Through, the two-pronged efforts of regular militia and guerilla insurgents, the South Carolinian patriots walloped the British. Their contribution played no small role in the final victory of the American cause. For this reason, battles like Cowpens, King's Mountain and Guilford Courthouse deserve as much consideration as Saratoga, Monmouth, and Yorktown. George Washington's northern armies played cat and mouse games with the British, and seemed destined to lose, but managed to stay afloat. The southern campaign tied down British troops, ate at their morale, depleted their manpower, and paved the way for the climatic victories in Yorktown. The southern contribution in my opinion is sometimes downplayed, ignored, and marginalized. Nonetheless, studying the war for independence in perspective makes one realize that the fraternal bonds of the various regions from New England to Georgia was vitally requisite to the overall success of the cause. The combined efforts of patriots in the thirteen States worked to break the yolk of Tory tyranny. The underdog Continental Army and a ragtag colonial militia defeated of one of the greatest powers of the eighteenth-century-the British Empire.

All things considered, Walter Edgar's book is a real treat. It is easy to read, straightforward, and it packs a punch despite its brevity. Edgar's manuscript captures the fierceness of the conflict in the Carolina backcountry and the breadth of sacrifices made on all sides. The War for American Independence was a hard fought contest. The odds were greatly against the rabble rebel armies of America taking on the might of the British Empire. Providence ordained otherwise and defied those odds. During the American War for Independence, many were content to sit on sidelines whether it was the coastal city slickers from Charleston to Boston had little resolve to fight British even if they had secessionist sympathies. Yet many clergy rallied behind the cause. The conflict was in fact dubbed a "Presbyterian Parson's Rebellion" by Tories in England and loyalists here at home. The predominantly Scotch-Irish population of the Carolina backcountry didn't like dishonored covenants between the governors and the governed, and frankly they didn't much care for the English either. They were hearty frontiersmen who hacked it out of the wilderness, bearing their children along the way. Their tempestuous antagonism against the English played no small part in the fervor that brought the cause for American Independence to fruition. In the end, their love of liberty and their hatred of tyranny compelled them to break the yolk of Tory tyranny.

* * * * * * * * * * *

**Here is an excerpt, which I found particularly funny about Presbyterian-Anglican relations in the backcountry of South Carolina in the mid-eighteenth century. It is told from the perspective a missionary of English pedigree who was sent to one of the token Anglican parishes in the Carolina backcountry. I found this story rather amusing... Anyway, jump ahead to page nine if you want to get to the gist of the story. FYI The quotations are the words of Rev. Woodmason, an Anglican clergyman.

[p. 5]
The Scots-Irish were proud of their heritage. They were, first of all, Scots. They knew their nation's d history and its mistreatment by the English. They were fervent Presbyterians whose forebears had been persecuted for their beliefs. They were family men and women and tended to stick close by their kinfolks.

...
[p. 7]
"The People," wrote Reverend Woodmason, "all new Settlers, extremely poor-Live in Logg Cabbins like Hogs-and their Living and Behavior as rude or more so than the savages."
...
[p. 9-10]
It would not be unfair to say that the backcountry was close to being a state of nature. There were settlements, but the only social organization was the church. Woodmason was an Anglican missionary to the backcountry settlements, but there were only two Anglican congregations beyond Parish End. There were several Quaker meetings... but most were Baptists or Presbyterians.
...
Sectarian animosities were fierce. Scotch-Irish Presbyterians were fervently devoted to their churches and just as fervently antagonistic to those who did not share their particular beliefs. They were the bane of Woodmason's existence and harassed him and any who attended his services. In one location, "[a] Presbyterian fellow carried off the Key to the Meeting House" so that services could not be held indoors. At Hanging Rock Creek, Woodmason was roughed up by "lawless Ruffians" who been hired by "debauch'd licentious fellows, and Scots Presbyterians." When the Anglican missionary persisted in holding a service, "a Gang of Presbyterians" interrupted it by "hallooing and whooping... like Indians." In the High Hills of the Santee, some Presbyterians "hir'd a Band of Rude fellows to come to Service who brought with them fifty-seven dogs (for I counted them) which in Time of Service they set to fighting, and I was obliged to stop." A little later, Woodmason took a dog to the home of the area's leaders and informed him "fifty-seven Presbyterians came that Day to Service, and that I had converted one of them, and brought Him home." He was fortunate to have been able to live to tell such a story.

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This past weekend was a Wedding Weekend—and not just a stop-and-go wedding, but a two-day weekend wedding, and a very special wedding that came when I was just about tired of weddings. This wedding was different! It took place at the idyllic Clover Forest Plantation in Goochland, Virginia (founded in 1751), which is midway between Richmond and Charlottesville. This was a posh and palatial plantation that befits a wedding for a Southern Belle. The wedding ceremony itself took place outside, and with a symphony orchestra. (Shhh!!!! Don't tell anyone!!! It all probably cost a pretty penny!) The lake below the plantation home was a most captivating view.

Excepting the immediate families of the bride and groom, the various parties stayed at the Mariott in the West End of Richmond, VA. In fact, I took the shuttle bus to and from the plantation, while my parents drove.

Who got married one may wonder? Miss Heather Johnson is now Mrs. Heather Sevinsky. Heather is a most beautiful, bright and intelligent young lady. This wedding carries special significance for me and my family, almost as much as my own sister’s future wedding does—since the Johnson clan and the Setliff clan have grown inseparable in bonds of familial friendship after three decades. Our parents were basically raised Baptist. My father and her father grew to become best friends. In fact, my father once dated Heather’s mother Jennifer before our parents were married. Our familial friendship even survived me and Heather’s two little brothers having it at one another over and over only to make-up time and time again. I drove her brother to high school for a while too. My parents eventually bought a condo next to the Johnson’s inium on the intercoastal waterway at Wilmington.

At the wedding, my mom always being the sentimental one was nostalgic to recollect all of our time together since childhood. Heather was the first I kissed. There is a picture of us sitting on a park bench together with me pecking her on the cheek. (It should be duly noted, that our on-going friendship was of a Platonic sort.) We flew a kite together for the first time at a playground. We went fishing together. There is a picture of the two us standing on a tree stump together with me holding a big bass striper. We went roller skating too. We went swimming together. Our families went to the beach and on vacations together. We spent time together at their home on Smith Mountain Lake through the years. In fact, in 1986, in Wrightsville Beach, I recollect me and Heather were building sand castles together on the beach and hunting for sand fleas out in the surf. We even went to same elementary school together for a while. I remember when she was as a , and doing her cheers, as if it were yesterday. Time flies by. Even when she was young, I recollect how she was most attentive to detail and meticulous with her school projects. We also went to high school together. Now, that little has blossomed into a beautiful young woman. She was and remains a most beautiful bride. She being a , has raven black hair with curls, a splash of freckles, and a warm smile that leaves your common run-of-mill bride on the wayside. She was striking as she came to center stage on Saturday as the symphony orchestra played the classic Air by John Sebastian Bach. I was obliged to pay her father compliment about his beautiful . He is proud of her, for good reason.

She has always been a classic genteel lady, and composed herself with the requisite composure, poise and dignity that befit a good southern . She has a sense of joy that animates her beauty, which can light up a room and it shows when she smiles. When the other s in our high school took to conceit and pride as they grew older, Heather never forgot her friends, and never let popularity go to her head. She was courteous, punctual, and every time I have been graced with her presence, she would make it a point to call me out by name, greet me, with a warm smile and/or a wave of the hand. She even called me out at the wedding as well from afar.

At the wedding, Heather was wearing a cross necklace, which points us back to God, faith and love, and the first things that matter. She is a daddy’s to be sure—and I thought it quite nice to see her and her father Ronnie dance together, after he paid his respects to her in word. Her father even named his first yachts after his “baby .” When Heather was four years-of-age, she was sitting there on the dock as a guy was stenciling and painting “Heather II” on the back of the boat, Heather being inquisitive struck up a childlike query, and asked what those two letter I’s represented. Her father told her it meant “two,” as it represented Roman numerals. She reacted in her babyish southern accent with a resounding rebuttal, “Two!!! – I’m four years old daddy. Make ‘em change it!!!” Humor came natural to her. The guy could barely keep from cracking up to finish the job.

When we grew up after high school, distance put me and Heather in different places and I didn’t see her quite as much, though I would still catch her off and on at family socials in Virginia and on vacations in North Carolina from time to time. Whereas, I only went a short stint at UNCW, she went the whole ride, and got her undergraduate degree in Marine Biology and a Masters in Chemistry from UNCW, and studies in toxicology. She also did graduate research at the University of Notre Dame. She went onto become a chemist with a division of Merck Pharmaceuticals in northern New Jersey shortly after graduating. It is no understatement or mere flattery on my part to say Heather is the brightest and most intelligent woman I know. Though her father has always complimented me, and said I would be more successful than either him or my father, I admit with introspection, I never had the depth of constancy, wherewithal and discipline to match my intellect. In sharp contrast, Heather has it all—passion, perseverance, focus, discipline, steadiness, and keen intellect to boot. And rather than use her luminous mind and talent for something self-serving or superfluous such as chasing paper trails by lawyering, instead she uses her mind to contribute to needed medical science and research. That’s truly life with a purpose and passion.

The 1950s and 1960s oldies dance at the reception was novel too. And go figure!? My father would be dancing with a twenty-something female – the hired help doing the catering. He thinks about like me and my brother. My mom always says, “Like father like son,” in alluding to her two son’s mannerisms. Though, I am not my father all the same.

After that day, not surprisingly, I eventually fell sound asleep like a log on the bus trip back to Richmond. Despite five Samuel Adams, I felt fine the next day. Though, instead of being home at church the following morning, I was at a hotel – but it was a special occasion. Sunday morning, I had a continental breakfast, and ate banana and macadamia-nut flapjacks with Canadian bacon, coffee and OJ.

My mom is dispatching a gift package to Heather’s residence, and I feel obliged to forward a copy of John Piper’s The Passion of Jesus Christ book along with that package.

In closing, I am genuinely very happy for Heather and her family, and may the light of the Lord God shine down upon her and her husband Kevin. They have my prayers. My sincere hope is that God’s blessings would continue to shine in their life, and that they would cultivate a lasting marriage based on a deep abiding love and mutual fealty toward one another, and love for God. What God has joined together may no one separate. May the bountiful blessings of the Lord be showered upon them and their future posterity for generations!!

(When I get a wedding photograph or two in digital format, I shall consider updating this post and adding it.)

Note to Self

Remember to change that stupid profile picture already!!!

Q. Nathan asked...

"Dang how did you get so many cute ladys:) to post comments on your blog let alone talk to you???"
—Nathan Brandal

A. Well Nathan, the simple answer: they probably just feel sorry for me.

Dr. Lee Cheek, Jr. (see Amazon.com profile) is one of my constitutional law mentors, and though I never studied under him as a student, he has exerted a considerable influence. He first contacted me in 2004. At the time, I admittedly had some of his books on my wishlist and had read one of his political science articles. Since that time, I have come to appreciate his friendship and communicate with him off and on. He generously provided me with a copy of one of his books. Lee helped inform me about a seminar, (and he basically landed me a near $1,000 scholarship including room and board), for a 2005 summer colloquium in Louisiana of interest to southern conservatives like myself. Given that I could not complete my law studies for financial reasons, that seminar was something of a morale pick-me-up, and it was actually very interesting. I met economist Thomas DiLorenzo and historian Clyde Wilson there. Plus, I got to network with other professors and academics who have offered advice and offered to help me professionally. If I ever get credentialed with that Juris Doctorate from law school, at least I might have some new friends to call upon about prospective jobs and leads teaching pre-law in college, whether as part-time adjunct faculty, or perhaps full-time eventually.

Lee Cheek presently serves as the chair of Behavorial and Social Sciences at Brewton-Parker College, which is a private Christian, Baptist college in Georgia, and has taught everything from Political Science to Philosophy to Southern History. He received his bachelor's degree from Western Carolina University, his M.Div. from Duke University, his M.P.A. from Western Carolina University, and his Ph.D. from The Catholic University of America's renowned political science program.

Dr. Cheek recently returned to Brewton-Parker after a five year tenure as Director of the Political Science Program at Lee University in Cleveland Tennessee. Dr. Cheek is also the founder and director of the Wesley Studies Society. In 2000, he was awarded Brewton-Parker College's "Professor of the Year Award" by the student body. He has served as a congressional aide and as a political consultant.

Like one of my professors and mentors Dr. Stephen A. Samson, Cheek was personally acquainted with the late and great Russell Kirk, a luminary among the twentieth-century American conservative movement. In fact, Kirk suggested that Cheek devote research and scholarship to Calhoun.

His Scholarship
Lee has written and edited a number of books and articles (My Amazon.com List), and he is a worthy torchbearer in Calhoun scholarship to the retiring professor of history at South Carolina Clyde N. Wilson.

Lee is the author of Calhoun and Popular Rule: The Political Theory of the Disquisition and Discourse, which is a profoundly reflective work that every student of constitutional law and political science should consider reading. Wilson incidentally has called Cheek's book, "Definitive!" Cheek's Calhoun scholarship is impeccable. He edited an anthology of Calhoun's political writings. The American Political Science Review has offered a favorable review of Calhoun and Popular Rule:

In sum, this is a rich and well-argued book. It not only forces its thoughtful readers into a serious reconsideration about the political thought and theory of John C. Calhoun, but, at its best, forces them to reconsider the nature, purpose, and future prospects of the American regime.

In the years ahead, if we Americans are to achieve a meaningful renaissance of federalism, which will end the gridlock of all-or-nothing public policy solutions as the national level,